1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for isolating certain hair sections from other sections to be treated with hair waving, straightening, bleaching, or dyeing material.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In various hair treatment procedures it is important to protect, shield, or isolate certain hair sections from the rest of the hair. For example, in a so-caled "cold permanent" hair curling process a cold waving solution is applied to the hair after it has been wound or rolled onto winding rods or hair curlers. Repeated applications of such cold waving solution to the hair can cause it to become brittle and frizzy. Consequently, when a customer's hair is to be curled it is important to keep the cold waving solution away from any previously treated hair. Heretofore, the separation of the previously curled hair sections from those which are to be treated has been a tedious and time consuming operation.
Hair straightening is another procedure in which it is important to protect previously treated hair from the treatment lotion. U.S. Pat. No. 3,367,345, issued Feb. 6, 1968, entitled "Apparatus and Method for Protecting Old Hair While Straightening New Hair," discusses this problem and discloses one method of protection. According to the patented arrangement a hair section is separated from the main body of hair and that length of the hair section which has been previously straightened is placed upon a length of fluid impermeable paper. The fold or seam of the paper extends lengthwise of the hair section and both the paper and the enclosed hair are rolled up into a croquignole. The unrolled, unstraightened portion of the hair section is then treated with the straightening lotion. This procedure is quite tedious because of the requirement that the hair sections be enclosed on both sides by the paper, and the lotion is not completely kept from leaking through to the already straightened hair.
Hair frosting and reverse hair frosting are other hair treatment procedures in which it is important to protect the hair from the treatment materials. In hair frosting the hair sections to be treated are separated and bleaching material is applied to them. In the reverse frosting process dyeing material is applied. In either procedure care must be taken to surround, contain, or otherwise isolate the hair sections which are treated so that the treatment material cannot reach the rest of the hair.
All of the procedures mentioned require the exercise of painstaking care, which takes time, and which is therefore costly. In addition, the methods of protection of the hair which is not to be treated are often so ineffective that the physical character of the hair or its appearance suffers.